ROGERS, Ark. – The Murray State College men's and women's cross country teams traveled to Arkansas for the NWACC Opener on Friday. Both squads earned second-place finishes at Northwest Arkansas Community College.

Women's Results (5K)
The Lady Aggies put together a particularly impressive team performance, narrowly missing out on the team championship by just one point. Murray State finished second behind host Northwest Arkansas Community College in a tightly contested women's 5,000-meter race.
 
Sophomore Erica Frass led the way for Murray State, turning in a third-place individual finish with a time of 22:14.74. Freshman Harley Johnson followed with a fifth-place finish at 24:21.37, while sophomore Christine Kurgat crossed the finish line sixth in 24:36.77. The strong start continued with Chloe Gaines finishing 10th in 25:37.52, giving the Lady Aggies four runners in the top 10.
 
Cheyanne Herrier and Nayeli Paz also delivered solid performances for Murray State, finishing 12th and 13th, respectively. Herrier posted a time of 26:11.41, while Paz finished in 26:17.01. Allie Schwartz added a 20th-place finish in 27:45.07, while Carlee Gayler and Rylee Pound finished 22nd and 23rd.
 
Northwest Arkansas Community College finished first with Murray State placing second and Seminole State collecting a third-place finish. Coffeyville Community College and Carl Albert State College also competed.
 
Men's Results (8K)
The Murray State men matched the women's performance with a second-place finish of their own in the 8,000-meter race. The Aggies were led by sophomore Jonathan Avila, who finished fifth overall with a time of 29:32.08. Freshman Luis Garcia was close behind, placing sixth in 29:54.94, giving Murray State two runners inside the top six.
 
Aidan Hobbs continued the strong showing by placing 10th with a time of 30:35.56. Sophomore Kaleb Madron finished 15th in 31:59.82, while freshman Jaxton Brown crossed the line 16th at 32:11.03. Zak Kirk added a 20th-place finish in 33:14.46, and Parker Brand rounded out the Murray State runners in 25th with a time of 35:20.23.
 
Northwest Arkansas Community College finished first with Murray State placing second and Coffeyville Community College collecting a third-place finish. Seminole State College and Carl Albert State College also competed.
 
The Aggies return to action next Saturday when they travel to Moore, Oklahoma to compete in the R4RYK Cross-Country Festival.
 
Assistant Sports Information Director: Jeremy Wagner | jwagner@mscok.edu
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